The Bulgarian government is moving ahead with the plans for the construction of a road tunnel under the Stara Planina (Balkan Mountain). The government is going to offer the construction and running of the future tunnel and adjacent infrastructure to a concessionaire.

The National Road Infrastructure Agency has published an invitation for potential investors in the project. The deadline for submitting applications is July 15, 2009, and the information meeting will most likely be held in September.

The applications are non-binding. Based on the information submitted in them, the Agency will compile a data base of economic entities that are interested in receiving information about the tunnel project.

The road tunnel is supposed to go under the Shipka Pass in the central part of the Balkan Mountain, and also includes the construction of a beltway of the nearby city of Gabrovo.